Gang Member Sentenced for Shooting in Arden Fair Mall Parking Lot

The Honorable Russell Hom sentenced John Montanez to 39 years in prison. On June 10, 2016, a jury convicted Montanez of two counts of attempted murder. The jury also found true allegations that he personally discharged a firearm and acted in furtherance of a criminal street gang.

On July 31, 2013, Montanez and an associate gang member got into an argument with three other young men inside Arden Fair mall and agreed to fight outside in the parking lot. Once outside, Montanez pulled a handgun and fired a semiautomatic handgun at the two victims. The victims fled and were not struck, but bullets struck several parked cars.